Friday, March 8, 2013

The red cross is commonly used in the higher elevations to show a mapped path. It's kind of an icon of this part of Sweden.

Above is the weather today, in Östersund, Sweden. I walked over the frozen Storsjön (Great Lake) to get to town.

It Was fun! Nice air, some sunshine and not too awfully cold.

Spring is coming!

Not yet.....

But you can have a good time warming your cheeks while you sit in Swedish sun chairs!

How 'bout some color to cheer you up?

Here is the giveaway!

Three mini charms, up for grabs, to banish the winter chill. Their time on the Swedish snow was minimal, only for the time it took for their photo shoot. They were not harmed!

Leave a comment below telling me what you are looking forward to with spring, or what you like about the end of winter!

Followers new and true get a second entry!

The giveaway ends on March 14'th, winner is announced on the 15'th of March.

****UPDATE****I will draw the winner at noon Swedish time/6 am Eastern Standard time on the 15'th****

Good luck and enjoy the hop!

Lizzie

PS If you're looking for my Google Friends Connect or Follower bar, just click on the 3-headed person at the top of the "file cabinet" in the upper right hand corner of the blog, and a little bar will slide out. You can also read about me if you click on the bright apple!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

On Sunday I managed to get a good bunch of sewing in. It was the day after a sloppy, snowy, windy one, and the clear weather was a joy. I was thinking about my grandmother, who has had a second stroke recently. She always has loved colors and all their nuances. She once repainted her front door after discovering the shade it turned in the late day sun, and wanting to edit it right away. That's dedication, and a special eye for detail. She makes the most wonderful little vignettes throughout her house, of the sort people usually put up and leave up. Hers are changed with her whim, about every two weeks. Flowers and figurines, a bit of tiny lace, a stone and a bottle. Humble and fine alike.

My sis sent me a picture of Grandmother, looking very intently out the window to see all she could see. I would show it, because it really tells a story, but she would be mortified to show her " bed head!" Her face has dropped a little on one side, but I still see her intent way of looking. Anyway, it was so grey in the photo that I really felt I had to try to send over something pretty. If you have read here awhile, you may know that I have a hard time abiding with grey days, even though I do love them in their own way. I come from Syracuse, New York, the place Eastman Kodak used for testing their film for grey days (yes, there are That many there.)

So I sent a flurry of pictures to my sister. And waited.

For all her attention to detail, one thing my grandmother knows how to do is split the difference, or do something quicker sometimes, to enjoy its impact. She is a master of knowing when to say when, or when to go all out. I was thinking about that too as I was sewing with these pre-cuts. I have made a fair number of doll quilts of my own design, and I realize I haven't just made a fun quickie, just for the sake of it. I like the puzzle of figuring the design out myself, but I also like the satisfaction of putting something together simply, and just enjoying it. Really, I can be quite happy just arranging my fabric stash into something that pleases, without even sewing a stitch. But that won't keep you warm!

At the end of my day (Sweden is six hours ahead of US Eastern Time) my sister finally wrote back. She Had shown my pictures to Grandmother, and it had cheered her day. They replied to each picture with specific comments about which colors Grandmother liked best, which she thought suited me, that the light looked so nice, that there was snow showing on the windowsill.

I hope this second stroke is her last, and that she has many years left to arrange her arrangements and spread her thoughtfulness and cheer. Just her way of being has taught me so much.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

I can't even begin to say how happy I was when this baby quilt arrived from Karen Black at Bungalow Bay Quilts, for her Countdown to Christmas Giveaway (that link has better pictures than I got.) It arrived a month ago, but I've been hogging this beauty, waiting for good light for a photo shoot! No good light, so here are some photos anyway!

Karen made this quilt using antique and vintage tumbler blocks to repurpose a quilt top into several little quilts. I think she may have mixed in some newer fabrics too, but it is done seamlessly, so it is hard to tell where. I love the polka dot binding, and the butter yellow border-- perfect choice! I thought it was really interesting to try to pick out fabrics I know, like the red pindots, and some brown rosebud fabric that we used in my family business when I was a kid, as potholder fabric. My mother said it was a reprint then, probably from the 1920's or '30's, made by Concord Fabrics (I hope I am remembering this correctly.) She met a lady who had worked in the design department when the original rosebud was made, and she helped her out a lot when she started in the crafting business, with practical help and moral support!

I also recognized fabrics I have seen in blouses by both grandmothers, as well as some shirting from the grandfathers too. And there are some fabrics I recognize for the first scrap quilt my Mom made too. So this turned out to be a really personal quilt to receive, with lots of stories.

I think my favorite fabric in this is the pink and green and grey bit in the lower righthand corner of each of these pics. I thought it was cool when it looked like stuffed olives, but then I realized it is of sacks with strings around them and patches. Very nice!

Saturday, March 2, 2013

...but I just had two spam boxes, an E-mail, and a G-mail! As soon as I discovered that, and fixed it so that I could see both, I started receiving giveaway winnings-- and some of them were in my spam box, but that's all right. Now that I can find them ! I just found out I won one of the rounds of the Fat Quarter Shop's 2013 Designer Mystery BOM Tour-- a $50 voucher for the Fat Quarter Shop.I have some decisions to make! Do I use this voucher right away, or save it? Shall I use it as "mad money" and pick out something that I never would usually buy, like yardage of some favorite fabric,

or do I use it for hard-to-get supplies, like special thread or templates,

or really special backing fabric?

Decisions, decisions......One thing I just discovered while taking a tour-- This fabric:

...which is related to This fabric:

...which is related to THIS:

I haven't seen the yellow hexie fabric since I used up my last drop in 1997, on my as yet unfinished first quilt!!!

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About Me

I'm an American living in Sweden. I love sewing and quilting, and anything fabric-related, except for mending knees! I love to take pictures, especially of nature, barns, and quilts. Winters are dark here, so Swedish Scrapper is a blend of all I can scrape together to make the days pretty for my family and me. It's a humble contribution, but making things lovely is really what makes me tick!